Commentary: Is STEM a necessity or just a fad?

By Kacie Hatley, 4-H agent, Stanly County Office of North Carolina Cooperative Extension

It seems like the key word in youth education this year is “STEM,” an acronym which stands for science, technology, engineering and math.

Oakboro has opened a new STEM school while 4-H is chartering a new STEM club and hosting an event for National Youth Science Day (more information provided later in this column). But why is this sudden push for “STEM” necessary? Is it simply the current fad in education, soon to replaced by the next “big thing?”